


i once believed love would be burnin' red (but it's golden, babe)

by Ephemeral_Joy



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Love, Post-Canon, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26447722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ephemeral_Joy/pseuds/Ephemeral_Joy
Summary: What if Luke's unfinished business doesn't have to do anything with the band, but with a certain curly-haired girl that stole his heart the minute he heard her sing?He opened his eyes and stepped into the daylight.(picks up where Julie and Luke are hugging each other in the last episode)
Relationships: Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 111
Kudos: 1055





	i once believed love would be burnin' red (but it's golden, babe)

**Author's Note:**

> Julie and The Phantoms is a tween show but here we are I guess. Don't mind me, an adult, writing fics for this. 
> 
> edited | not beta'd | title from "daylight" by taylor swift and also used in the fic (slightly altered)
> 
> Find me on tumbr @lydias--stiles

His callous touch caressed her soft cheeks in disbelief. Luke teared up, watching her dazzling smile and relieved eyes and wow - was this what it was like to touch Julie Molina? Now he was really jealous of that Nick dude.

It felt like an eternity staring at her, holding her. He felt insane having these strong emotions for a Lifer, but this was Julie. Julie with her compassion, fiery passion and talent and something distinctly hers. Admittedly, he wouldn't have liked her in his first life - too superficial back then - but he guessed death changed a person. In 1995, he would've felt awkward and  _ too  _ much and  _ too  _ fast.

Here, this eternity was delicious. He cherished the touch for as long as he could.

'You're glowing,' Julie whispered.

He chuckled, fond. 'The pain's gone.'

Julie perked up, urging the other guys to join and Luke almost felt disappointed if it wasn't for the fact it would save them too. Reggie and Alex began glowing as they all embraced. Luke wanted to cry. He hasn't felt this human in 25 years. Suddenly, Caleb's mark lifted from their skin and evaporated into the air. Reggie sputtered out a laugh, incredulous. Alex was stunned.

Their love for music and each other saved them, just like Luke thought it would. They were connected, destined to collide. It wasn't ideal, sure, but it was the best possible outcome. And oh my God, he could touch Julie. Alex and Reg slowly pulled away, but Luke kept a tight grip on her shoulders and neck. She wasn't moving away either, holding onto him just as hard. There was something undeniable happening, Luke realised, the urge to dare and get closer immense. This was crazy. She was fifteen and living. He a seventeen year old  _ ghost _ . If he kissed her (or tried, at least) she'd be electrocuted into another dimension or something. (Yikes, he was starting to sound like Reggie...)

Alex and Reg murmured something about basketball and flashed away. Julie nodded. Luke barely noticed, mesmerised.

'What an interesting, little relationship we have,' he grinned. Julie let out a shaky laugh.

Slowly, with fear and curiosity glinting in her eyes, her fingers trailed up to his chin and pressed softly. Breath choked in his throat. Luke didn't dare to move; what was she doing?

She moved up an inch and then a little more and then it was touching the warm, plush skin of his lower lip. His heart somersaulted and she instantly pulled her hand away.

'I had a daydream,' she blurted, flushed. 'About you where we danced together and it's a little surreal that I can touch you now. It's like you're...'

His smile turned bitter. The supernatural world was really taunting him. 'Human?' But then her words sunk in. Julie dreamt about them? Together? Dancing? One part of him was triumphant that that golden retriever Nick didn't stand a chance against a ghost, but the other part of him (the biggest part) was rattled at what she just confessed.

Julie dreamed about him.

'Yeah...'

'I'm scared I'll lose this ability,' Luke confessed. 

'You won't,' Julie said, assertive. 'It's like you're levelling up. Like in a video game.'

'What if it's not.'

'What if it is?'

Luke managed to smile. She was truly their beacon of light and serenity. Words and melodies swirled around his mind as he gazed at her. He had to write it down!

'I - uh-' Reluctantly, he let go of her, hooking the tips of their fingers together. 'I have an idea for a song. I kinda wanna work on it by myself for a moment. Meet me here tomorrow?'

Julie nodded, something unfamiliar in the look on her face. But he liked it. It felt like a level-up. She slipped from his fingers and cold washed over him, the glow dying down. He wasn't hurting from Caleb's curse anymore, but not touching Julie felt like a punishment. He could only imagine what it would be like if he were still alive, singing with her in the mic, feeling her hot breath on his, the heat of her buzzing skin. That "chemistry", as the boys pointed out, being actually tangible. If he could, he'd crawl in a Lifer's body and make all the problems go away. Then again, it sounded like something only the devil could do - not a seventeen year old dweeb like him.

Lyrics about fate, kismet, connection, what it meant to be alive and touch rapidly inked the pages of his battered notebook. It was messy and probably didn't make a whole lot of sense but it made sense to him. The boys came inside.

'You okay, dude?', Alex asked.

'Did ya kiss her?' Reggie bounced around excitedly.

'I'm still dead, Reg,' Luke deadpanned. 

'You could touch her! We could all touch her! Missed your shot, bro.'

Alex peered over Luke's shoulder. 'What's this?'

'Lyrics,' he coughed. 'Just some lyrics.'

Reggie snatched the book from his grasp. Before Luke could yell, his eyes lit up. 'It's about Julie. Our Julie, Alex!'

Alex looked fed-up. 'Who else?'

'Julie Andrews?'

'Give that back,' Luke grumbled, plucking it from Reg's hands. 'It's about her but please don't tell her. I wanna do it on my own terms.' 

Alex' frown softened. 'So you admit you like her.'

'It’s obvious, right?' Luke sighed. 'It's just... we have this connection, you know? I can't explain it. Like,  _ we  _ are not even real. But... I don't know, guys.'

'It sucks.' Alex nodded, sitting next to him on the couch. 'I bet Julie thinks the same.'

Luke grinned, his chest burning at the thought. 'She dreamt about me.'

'Ew! She told you that?!' Reggie made a barf sound.

'No dude, not like that! She dreamed about us  _ dancing _ . Together.'

Alex grinned. 'Star-crossed lovers.'

'We're ghosts, Alex. I think it's a little more than that.' He sighed, staring at the lyrics. He felt dumb. He couldn't continue writing this song. What would he do if he finished it? Perform it for Julie? And then what? It would solve nothing. He'd still be a ghost. She'd still be alive.

'Maybe... this is your unfinished business,' Alex mused. His eyes were glassy, gazing at something (or someone) that wasn't there. 'Maybe you’re meant to sing it to her.'

As ridiculous as it sounded that serenading a girl would get him to cross over, it kind of seemed plausible too. Did Alex crack it? 

'Wait. You think we all have seperate goals?' Reggie looked alarmed. 'So, that means we will probably not cross over at the same time and be alone again?' 

'What if we're not "crossing over"?' Alex argued. 'What if...' 

'We level up,' Luke murmured, the fog in his mind fading away. He grinned. Level up. Who knew what the supernatural was capable of! 

Reggie stared at him. 'Like Pokémon?'

Luke laughed. 'Yeah.'

'It's easier to think about,' Alex agreed. 'I'll have less mental breakdowns now.'

'Awesome!'

Luke opened his notebook again. 'I gotta finish this.'

Hours passed where he wrote and rewrote the same song, scrapping verses and bridges for better ones, and scrapping those again when they didn’t feel good enough. The guys softly jammed on their instruments, finding and falling out of melodies. Since they didn’t have to sleep (damn, how much he yearned for that when he was still alive), he could work on all night without a hitch. 

Julie joined him at the crack of dawn, still high on adrenaline from the events of last night. 

‘Where are the guys?’

He barely looked up. ‘Alex is looking for Willie. Reggie is probably trying to eat donuts somewhere.’

Julie chuckled. ‘Not surprising.’

‘Yeah.’ Maybe he should change her name to “honey” or “darling”? Or “baby”? Or was that too creepy? He could try it out. He wrote it in the margins. 

‘You’re still working on the song?’ She sat down next to him, him instantly sliding to the other side of the couch. She frowned. ‘Is it a secret? Wait, don’t tell me. Boundaries. Right.’

He sighed, relieved. ‘Yes. For now, no questions, okay?’

Julie eyed him curiously and he wondered if she could see right through him. ‘Okay.’ She paused, staring at his pale arm, and her unspoken question made him shift closer. 

‘Try it.’ He tensed his arm in hopes of making it more tangible (he didn’t know ghost physics, okay?!) as her hand wavered above it. 

‘I’m scared,’ she whispered, using his words from hours earlier. They locked eyes, green crossing brown, and he felt his heart quicken, goosebumps rippling his skin like little bells alarming him he was  _ too close _ . In every possible way. But while his head was screaming at him to keep distance, his heart thought the better of it and mustered all the power to grab her hand. 

Luke passed through her. 

Julie gulped, hard. She averted her eyes, hair covering her face like a curtain. ‘Oh. I guess my theory…’

‘It happened at a high intensity moment, so maybe-’

‘So you always have to nearly die  _ again  _ before I can touch you... guys.’ She sputtered the latter word a beat too late. But he couldn’t focus on that. She made a good point: if this would ever work, they’d be unable to do anything. 

God, what the fuck was he doing? He was a ghost! How many times did he have to remind himself he was  _ dead _ . 

‘Then I’d rather stop trying.’ She crossed her arms and walked to her keyboard, keeping as much distance as possible. His heart ached, but he couldn’t stop. Julie’s theory may be wrong, but Alex’ might work.

‘Maybe something else will.’

Julie pressed a key and quirked a brow. It urged him to continue.

‘Alex and I are working something out; we’ll tell you as soon as we can.’

A smile formed on her lips, tension settling down. He felt like he could breath again. ‘So many secrets,’ she sighed, amusement gleaming. 

He grinned. ‘Gotta keep it fresh.’

She shook her head, focusing back on the sheet paper scattered across the keys. They had been working on a particularly nitpicky song before everything went downhill and she was still tinkering with the chords and melodies. His eyes fell back on his notebook, lingering on the notes in the margins. Maybe “babe” was a good fit for the song.

Reggie came back an hour later, indeed having stolen a batch of donuts from a high end dessert shop and excitedly telling them he could eat them. 

‘I levelled up!’

Alex came back last, somber and indifferent at the same time as he sat down in one of the chairs. Julie had just gone back to the house for lunch, leaving Reg and him with some time to cheer him up a bit. 

‘Did you find Willie?’ Reg cut to the chase. 

‘No.’ It came out choked. Alex ripped the snapback from his head. ‘I think Caleb did something to him.’

Reggie gaped at him, horrified. ‘You mean… steal his soul?’

‘Let’s not think like that,’ Luke but in. 

‘How can I not think like that?!’ Alex yelled. ‘The only thing he had was his fucking skateboard and now he’s gone!’

‘Well-’ Alex’s words struck him. All Willie had was his skateboard. He had nothing. No history here, no people here, just him and that useless scrap of wood. What if that was the answer to everything? This may actually make some sense. ‘What if that’s what happened? He was afraid to live so he took the cheap way out and-’

‘Don’t talk about him like that!’

‘Alex, lemme finish! He was a  _ ghost _ ! He got scared and went to someone that made him feel protected and then got manipulated and then Caleb zapped his soul or something. He was already dead without fighting for another chance at life. But we’re gonna live, my dudes.’ He raised his fist like Bill Clinton used to do on TV. ‘We’re “Julie and The Phantoms”. And one day, we’ll cross over because we’ll do something so extraordinary and that’ll be the moment.’

The boys remained quiet for a moment, Alex with pursed lips and Reggie unable to look either in the eye. Luke had been rambling so he wasn’t entirely sure what he just said, but it seemed to have meant something. Alex was the first to speak again.

‘I don’t want to be seventeen forever. Luke, we were supposed to be forty-two years old by now.’

Reggie blew a raspberry. ‘I’d rather  _ die  _ than get older than thirty.’

‘ _ Reg _ .’ Luke loved Reggie like a soul-brother, but  _ damn _ , he could really use some tact. 

‘Sorry.’

‘First of all: “seventeen forever”? Great lyric. I’m going to write that down, thanks bro.’ He scribbled it down, Alex’s sullen face unchanged. ‘Second: me neither. I wanted to drink alcohol legally for once but here we are. The faster you accept this is our new reality - and I now you haven’t completely, not like me and Reg - the sooner you’ll find what it is that’ll get you to cross over.’

Alex began to waver. ‘So you’re really gonna sing that song to Julie, huh?’

‘Because I’ve accepted my fate.’ Not really. Not quite. But he needed Alex on his side. They  _ just  _ survived Caleb’s curse, they couldn’t become depressed now! 

‘Okay.’ Alex held his hands up in surrender. ‘I’ll try.’

‘Good.’

***

It was the longest writing session ever. By four, Luke finally finished the song. It was unlike anything he’s ever written before, but he knew in his gut it was a good song. It wasn’t rock or a ballad like “Emily”, it was… it was a song uniquely to Julie. He couldn’t describe it any other way. The boys weren’t allowed to look at it though, scared he’d become insecure by a quirked brow or wrinkle. Alex assured him they’d be nice, but Luke didn’t wanna risk it and chicken out. 

Without much practise, Julie came by after dinner. She was in her sweats and curly hair up in a bun and it wasn’t at all like the Julia Roberts movies his mom liked to watch, but it was perfect to him. Anticipation was written on her face. 

‘So? Can I finally hear the song?’

To ease his nerves, a teasing smirk fell on his lips and leaned in slightly. ‘Dreamed of me some more, Julie?’

The girl flushed red, shooting a glare at the snickering boys on the couch and joined them with a huff. She peered at him. ‘Just play the song, stupid.’

The stress spiked again, riding up his back all the way to his neck and tingling his fingers. There were a few times he has been this afraid: one, when he knew he was gonna die from a hotdog. Two, when he nearly died  _ again  _ about twenty-four hours ago. Adding this to the list seemed fitting, as he could die emotionally (and probably of embarrassment too) if she didn’t feel the same. He had to remind himself his chances were low. And yet. Looking into her curious, encouraging eyes - poorly hidden behind disgruntlement - he knew there was  _ something _ . And hopefully, it would make his “cross over”. 

He took a deep breath, caressed the guitar strings, and sang. 

_ My love was as cruel as the cities I lived in _ _   
_ _ Everyone looked worse in the light _ _   
_ _ There are so many lines that I've crossed, unforgiven _ _   
_ _ I'll tell you truth, but never, "Goodbye" _

_ I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you _ _   
_ _ I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you _ _   
_ _ I've been sleepin' so long in a twenty-year dark night _ _   
_ _ And now I see daylight, I only see daylight _

Their surprised faces were predicted. It wasn’t his usual, upbeat type of song; even the boys thought he’d be a bit more cheery since it was about Julie, but he felt like it would cheapen what he truly felt. 

_ I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you _ _   
_ _ I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you _ _   
_ _ I've been sleepin' so long in a twenty-year dark night _ _   
_ _ And now I see daylight (daylight) _ _   
_ _ I only see daylight (daylight) _

Something seemed to click for Julie as he crooned the lyrics straight in her pretty face. God, he has wanted to do this since the first time they performed together! Her lips parted in disbelief, unable to take her eyes off of him. He grinned during a pause, feeling as if he stood on the edge of a cliff, exhilaration and adrenaline and fear and joy and nausea all swirling inside of him. 

_ And I can still see it all in my mind _ _   
_ _ All of you, all of me intertwined _ _   
_ _ I once believed love would be black and white _ _   
_ _ But it's golden _ _   
_ _ And I can still see it all in my head _ _   
_ _ Back and forth from LA sneakin' in your head _ __   
_ I once believed love would be burnin' red _ _   
_ __ But it's golden

Tears welled in her eyes, fingers clamping the edge of the seat. He slowly came closer, the strumming softer and intimate. He kneeled before her. 

_ Like daylight. _

The soft tones drifted across the garage, leaving the four teens silent and stupified. Luke only had eyes for her, trying to gauge her reaction.  She let out a shaky grin, matching his nervous one. His heart hammered so loud she probably heard it.

‘This is a big moment, right?’, she whispered. 

‘Yeah.’

‘Good.’ And then she threw herself in his arms, holding him tight. Luke gasped, quickly pulling the guitar back to hug her properly, face pressed in her neck that smelled like flowers. Touching her was still fucking insane to him, how soft and warm she was, the way her curls bounced and caressed him, how her skin pulled into smiles and frowns and wrinkles and he could all feel it. Her tears and shivers and heart beating in sync with his. Luke has never felt more human. 

‘I can’t stop thinking about you, Jules,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘I really like you and-’ He chuckled. ‘I wanna dance with you too.’

Julie pulled back slightly, eyes shining with pure bliss and fondness. She beamed at him, her smile so bright he wanted to kiss it and see if it tasted like the sun. Before either said anything, she kissed his cheek, the touch spending sparks through his body like when he touched the electrical plug when he was five. 

‘I like you too.’

Warm light began glowing from his chest and bursted the garage in a golden hue as she uttered those four, sacred words. Particles of dust and light and the vague melody of a song he hasn’t written yet whirled around him like a tornado, losing sight of Julie and the boys. Holy shit. Was he crossing over? What was happening? Was he gonna disappear? Was he truly dying now, for real this time? Frightened thoughts crossed his mind. This was a mistake! Fuck! 

And then everything quieted down. For a moment, all he saw was black and he was sure this was what death was: an endless sea of darkness. But then spots of light filtered through his eyes, revealing the familiar blue walls of the garage, the old couches, the tuft of blonde hair from Alex, Reggie’s pale skin, Julie’s warm eyes. Julie. 

The three hovered over him, relieved and concerned at once. Luke had no idea what the fuck just happened. 

‘What - - - ?’

‘I don’t know,’ Alex said. Then Luke realised he was laying on the floor and let himself be pulled up by Reggie. Julie stared at him, wide-eyed. ‘I thought you were crossing over,’ the blonde added. 

‘I thought so too,’ Luke said. 

‘Maybe,’ Reggie prompted, ‘this is like an alternate universe and-’

‘ _ Reggie _ .’ Alex looked like he was ready to murder the guy. 

The boy sighed. ‘ _ Alright _ . Geez, I thought we were brainstorming.’ 

‘Guys,’ Luke muttered. He looked at his palms, seeing every cel and wrinkle and line so clearly it almost looked like he was real. It didn’t have that luminescence like before, the way light made his skin slightly transparent. He pressed a finger against his skin. It felt warm and supple. 

Could it be…?

‘What’s wrong?’, Julie asked, finally coming out of her stupour. She took a step closer, hesitant to touch him again. ‘You look pale.’ 

His head shot up. ‘I look  _ pale _ ? My face changed? I look different than normal?’

Alex caught on first. An incredulous puff left his lips. ‘No way.’ Then, he took two strides forward and did the most un-Alex thing he has ever done: bodyslamming into Luke. 

And then fell right through.

Julie and Reggie yelled bloody murder, the latter frozen in the place and the former shooting to the back of the garage, frightened as hell. Luke was flabbergasted. Did Alex just… go through him? His breathing quickened, goosebumps rippling his skin. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible. He couldn’t be alive again. Shouldn’t he have aged? What the fuck was going on?!

Alex, coughing on the floor from his hard fall, let out a victorious laugh. ‘You’re alive, dude!’

‘Alive?!’, Julie squeaked. He whipped around at the sound of her voice and watched as she peeked from behind the grand piano. ‘But… you guys are  _ dead _ !’ 

‘He’s right,’ Luke said. ‘I… I’m here.  _ Really  _ here.’

‘So… crossing over is becoming alive again?’ Reggie said. ‘The fuck?’

‘Maybe it’s not “crossing over”.’ Alex was more confident in his theory now, it seemed. He stood up. ‘Maybe your unfinished business that gets you out of this purgatory has a different outcome for everyone.’

‘Which means I’m meant to be here!’ Luke took a step closer to her, eyes locked and unwavering. ‘In 2020. With you, Jules.’

Julie shook her head furiously, dread seeping in her voice. ‘No. No, you can’t be - - - I’m losing my mind.’

Luke closed the space between them, him bare inches away from her as he cupped her neck, thumbs caressing her jaw. They’ve been here before, but now, it felt electric.

‘You’re not losing your mind,’ he whispered. He was barely registering this new revelation himself but he’d worry later about the why and the how. For now, he needed -  _ wanted  _ \- her to trust him. Believe him. ‘I’m right here. And I’m looking into your eyes.’

‘Stop.’

He pressed their foreheads together. ‘And it’s like stepping into daylight.’

‘Luke.’

‘Let’s figure it out together. Please?’ 

She stayed quiet for a moment. Her eyes searching for something he hoped was there. But before he could plea once more, her gaze fell passed his nose and in a matter of moments, pressed her lips against his.

Luke was frozen for a moment, his heart throbbing in his throat from the feeling of her lips that tasted like the chocolate cake she ate at dinner, from her smile that stretched across his, from the way her arms were thrown around his neck and fingers weaving into his shaggy head of hair. But then he reacted, hands in her hair and crying. Crying because his breath didn’t feel cold anymore; Crying because he was kissing the girl of his dreams. Crying because whoever was up there, gave him a shot at life again.

He’d worry about the repercussions later. For now, he’d kiss the girl.

For now, he wanted to believe that Julie Molina was his soulmate. 


End file.
